In an early look at the 2016 presidential campaign, 43 percent of American voters back New Jersey’s Republican Gov. Christopher Christie, while 42 percent back former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democrat, according to a Quinnipiac University (quinnipiac.edu) national poll released this week.

Ms. Clinton has leads of nine points or more against other possible Republican contenders, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds:

“It’s a long way off and no one is officially a candidate yet, but the Hillary Clinton-Chris Christie race to the White House is neck-and-neck before the campaign even saddles up,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“Sen. Rand Paul, Vice President Joseph Biden, those other guys better get cracking or they might as well head back to the stables.”

American voters say 54 - 40 percent that Hillary Clinton would make a good president and say the same about Christie, 49 - 31 percent. But Vice President Joseph Biden, Paul, Cruz and Ryan would not make a good president, voters say.

Voters are divided 39 - 39 percent on whether they would vote for a Democrat or a Republican in their Congressional district, down from a 43 - 34 percent Democratic advantage in an October 1 Quinnipiac University poll. Independent voters shift from 32 percent for Democrats and 30 percent for Republicans October 1 to 37 - 26 percent Republican today.

Voters still disapprove of Republicans in Congress, 73 - 20 percent, more than they disapprove of Democrats, 62 - 30 percent.

“In Washington today, it comes down to who the voters dislike the least,” said Malloy. “There are no heroes.”

Both presidential poll leaders have the Wall Street seal of approval. Wall Street owns the corporate media and thus you will hear how great these two people are for the next few years. As a practical matter, there would be very little difference between a Christie and a Clinton administration.